Pre-surgery Video Empowers Prostate Cancer Patients

Recently Urology San Antonio began testing a simple but significant initiative designed to provide prostate cancer patients with specific, tailored information about their upcoming surgery.

During the patients’ initial cancer conference with their urologist, men who choose robot-assisted surgery to treat their disease receive a customized video introducing them to the surgeon, the robotic technology, the hospital, the pre-surgery preparations and the post surgery recovery plan. Patients can view the DVD in the privacy of their home, where they have the opportunity to watch it multiple times. They can share the information with family members and thoughtfully prepare a list of questions for their meeting with the surgeon.

The project is the brainchild of Naveen Kella, M.D., a nationally-recognized expert in robotic surgery who performs the majority of the practice’s robotic-prostatectomies. Since joining Urology San Antonio in 2004, Dr. Kella has pushed the practice to use technology to respond to patients’ desire to learn about their diagnosis.

After a doctor reveals a cancer diagnosis, patients often forget key information discussed during the meeting. To mitigate this experience, Urology San Antonio physicians encourage patients to bring a family member to their cancer conference and provide all prostate cancer patients a book co-authored by urologist Arthur Centeno, M.D. that describes the various treatment options for the disease and the pros and cons of each therapy.

The new video takes this approach one step further by offering robotic-surgery patients specific and practical information about what to expect before, during and after their treatment. Unlike generic patient education tools, the video allows patients to hear from their surgeon, to see the exact operating room where they will be treated and to receive statistical details and timelines specific to Urology San Antonio patients.

The video has been in use for only a few weeks, and already it is improving patients’ experiences. Men who have reviewed the video prior to surgery note that the information has given them a sense of empowerment and confidence. When they meet with Dr. Kella, the two spend significantly more time discussing the patient’s unique concerns, and as a result, patients have fewer questions when the surgery scheduler calls to confirm the final details of their procedure. The video has proven to be such a success that Urology San Antonio plans to create similar tools for other diagnoses.